Kendra could see the headlights of the Nissan on the road behind them. “Why did we stop here? I’d prefer not to wait for your friend Charlie to intercept him, Fitz. We’d still have to worry about Cambry coming after he gets the car he left—”
Blam!
The left front tire of the Nissan blew up!
The Nissan skittered wildly all over the road, heading for the ditch.
Blam!
Another shot!
The right headlight went out.
The driver was wildly trying to get control of his car as he headed for the ditch. One more shot and the right tire blew out.
The Nissan was suddenly upended into the ditch! Then they saw the driver’s door open and a tall, burly man was climbing out of the vehicle as he screamed into his phone.
“Good man,” Charlie,” Fitz murmured. He hung up his phone and glanced back at Jessie. “Mission accomplished?”
Jessie nodded. “That should do it.”
“Good.” Fitz stomped on the accelerator, and the van leaped forward. “Now we can put on some speed!”
“As soon as we find out where we’re going.” Jessie turned back to Kendra. “Are you okay? Where do we go from here? Back to the hotel?”
“No.” She drew a deep breath. “I’m fine. I didn’t mean to panic you. I just didn’t like how determined Cambry was being about questioning me. It was weird, and I don’t believe it wasjust because he was clearly jealous of Lynch’s position with Justice. It makes me wonder if there was something else behind it.” She turned to Fitz. “I’d like you to send someone back to the hotel to pack up for us, if you would.”
He shrugged. “No problem. Anything else? Shall I find you another place?”
“Not right away. I know where I want to go.” She turned back to Jessie. “Where’s your motorcycle?”
“In the back of this van in cargo.” She gazed at her curiously. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to want a lift from you. I’ll leave my leased car at the airport for Fitz to pick up. Your cycle is much more compact and easier to lose in the woods.”
“Woods? That’s where we’re going?”
Kendra nodded. “Back to the hills.”
Jessie’s gaze narrowed on her face. “You didn’t finish up there?”
Kendra shook her head. “I hope not. I found something very intriguing while I was looking around, and I believe I may have gotten lucky. But I couldn’t concentrate or do anything that might prove productive as long as Cambry was looking over my shoulder. Did you run across anything interesting when you were scouting?”
“I was concentrating more on watching out for you and Cambry to arrive and just getting the lay of the countryside,” Jessie said. “I thought that was what you wanted.”
“It was, of course. Just thought I’d check on anything else you’d noticed.”
“Because you found something intriguing in those hills yourself? What was it?”
“Damn. You know me too well, Jessie.” Kendra patted herjacket pocket. “Right now it’s something of a mystery. I didn’t have a chance to examine it in depth, but I’ll show it to you later. I may ask Fitz to be on hand if we have to find the appropriate expert to help us figure out where it came from.”
Fitz chuckled. “It will be my pleasure. I can see that you’ve learned what a treasure I am. I’m sorry that I expressed any disappointment that you were not Beyoncé before. I’m usually not so blind about the worth of my clients. You’ve truly given both me and my coworkers a challenge on every front. Beyoncé would not have stood a chance against you.”
“Thank you.” She made a face. “But to be fair, we all know she has nothing to worry about. Now, how quickly can you pick up what we need and deliver it to us up in the hills?”
“It depends on how quickly we can get Jessie’s cycle unloaded and the two of you on your way.” He tilted his head, thinking about it. “If Jessie’s right about the distance, I’d judge I could have you settled in those hills by morning. Until then, you’d have to rough it.”
“I was right,” Jessie said. “And for Pete’s sake, neither of us is helpless, Fitz. I served in Afghanistan and Kendra and Lynch had a few missions over there, too. Just pull over at the next available spot and help me unload the cycle and then get on your way. I’ll call you with a location for the delivery as soon as we find a good place to set up camp.”
